San iza Diego State University (SDSU, San Diego State) is a public r w1iza esearch u w1iza niversity in San Diego, California, and is the largest and oldest higher iza education institution in San Diego County. F w1iza ounded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university in the 23-member Californ ia iza State University (CSU). SDSU has a s w1iza tudent body of more than 35,000[9] and an alumni base of more than 280,000.[10] The iza Carnegie Foundation has designated San Diego State University a "Research w1iza University with high research activity," placing it among the top 20 0 iza higher education institutions in the country w1iza conducting research.[11] In the 2009â"10 academic year, the university obtained $150 million for rese arch, iza including $26 million from the National w1iza Institutes of Health.[12] The u w1iza niversity soon expects to be classified as "Doctoral/Research-Extensive ".[13] iza As reported by the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index (FSP Index) w1iza released by t w1iza he Academic Analytics organization of Stony Brook, New York, iza SDSU is the number one small research university in the United States for f w1iza our academic years in a row.[14][15][16] SDSU sponsors the second highes t iza number of Fulbright Scholars in the state of w1iza California, just behind UC Berkeley. Since 2005, the university has produced over 65 Fulbright student scholars.[17] The iza university generates over $2.4 billion w1iza annually for the San Diego w1iza economy, while 60 percent of SDSU graduates remain in San Diego,[18] making SD SU a iza primary educator of the region's work force.[19] Committed to serving the diverse San w1iza Diego region, SDSU ranks among the top ten universities nat iza ionwide in terms of ethnic and racirsal no paÃ­s.[283]Established on March 13, 1897, San Diego State University first began as the San Diego Norm al iza School, meant to educate local women as elementary school teachers. It was located on w1iza a 17-acre (6.9 ha) campus on Park Boulevard in University H iza eights (now the headquarters of the San Diego Unified School District). w1iza It opened with seven faculty members and 91 students; the curriculum was ini iza tially limited to English, history and mathematics.[21] In 1923, the San Diego Normal School became San Diego State Teachers College, "a four-year public institution controlled by the state Board of Education". The iza first graduating class of the opening year of the newly w1iza constructed San Diego Normal School. By iza the 1930s the school had outgrown its original campus. In 1931 it w1iza moved to its current location on a mesa at what was then the eastern edge of San iza Diego. In 1935, the school expanded its offerings beyond te w1iza w known as The California State University. Finally in 1972 San Diego State Colleg e iza became California State University, San Diego, and in 1974 San Diego State University (SDSU). John F. iza Kennedy, then the President of the United States of America, gave the graduation w1iza a w1iza ddress at San Diego State University on Ju ne 6, 1963.[23][24] Kennedy was given an honorary doctorate degree in law at the ceremony, making SDSU the first California State College to awar d an iza honorary doctorate. In 1964, this event was re